Many others will detail the enormous impact on the local environment by replacing natural grass with plastic. For me there doesn't even seem to be an argument on that environmental basis. Others may raise the economic issue where a public facility, once freely available to all, under this proposal, would now be the preserve of those who can afford to pay the hourly rates.  However, I would like to highlight the catastrophic human impact of this proposed development.

My mother has lived on St. Brendan's Crescent, raising her family there in a lovely estate, where she felt absolutely blessed to be able to see and hear the children of the neighbourhood, including her own, and indeed her grandchildren, playing in the park behind her house. Recently widowed after the death of my father last month, this lifelong local woman, is now nothing short of traumatised by the prospect of the only local park being destroyed and replaced with a facilty that will bring noise and light pollution in abundance, wreeking havoc on an otherwise peaceful community.

Adding to distress of locals is the fact that this propased development will be mostly used by people from outside the area. The fact that the propasal is being supported by sporting clubs like Templeogue Synge Street, tells the tale of exactly who the beneficiaries will be here. In fact, one of the proposed astro pitches is a rugby pitch, whereas Greenhills has never had a rugby team. So although it has the support of Greenhills Boys, to say this development is for the benefit of locals is disingenuous in the extreme.

On the other hand, locals like my mother who just use the park for daily exercise, for people walking their dogs, for the aforementioned local children who play there, and the myriad of other park users will all be negatively affected by this proposed development. All of these park users are local, whereas rugby and GAA clubs from other areas are not locals, and the vehicles their members would use to travel to this proposed development would render the surrounding area a nightmare for local parking and for Greenhills residents in general.

Nobody is against improving sports facilities for young people, but surely such improvements should not be to the detriment of other sections of the community like the elderly of the very young. The fact that nearby Tymon Park boasts ample room, which is far from housing, and has preexisting car parks, just adds to the overwhelming sense of frustration felt by locals in Greenhills. 

Given how close it is to local housing, no civic minded person could possibly deem this site suitable for this proposed development, and any individual or organisation who supports it, should be ashamed of themselves for the fear they have instilled in the local residents.

Please emphatically reject this utterly outrageous proposal.